A Walk in the Woods
by Whelp11
Summary: A boy has lived a life full of betrayal and only finds comfort while in a cave in the woods. but what happens when there is someone else their when he is betrayed for the last time. Rated M for sexual content. Please post reviews to improve future stories. Since they only give us the ability to rate up to M in the ratings slot i am placing in the summary that this is MA 18
1. Prologue

A Walk in the Woods

Prologue

_Max was walking through the woods making his way to a spot he knew well. It was a cave about two miles south of his hometown; it was located in a small valley behind several layers of thickets and briar bushes. Most wouldn't make the trek two miles through the woods just to sit down in a cold dark cave and feel sorry for themselves, but max liked the walk, it helped him clear his mind and reflect on what he may have been able to do to stop it. Usually max always came to the same conclusion, that he either had done something to deserve it, even though he never knew what he did, or that it was an unavoidable occurrence that would have happened no matter what._

_ The first time max had found the cave was when his parents informed him they were separating. Feeling as if his home was no longer a home max ran, he ran and didn't stop until he found the cave. He didn't stop there just because it was quiet and solitary he stopped there because of what he found. All over the walls were these paintings that were left behind by a lucario tribe. Max felt less alone in this place and wanted to keep it to himself._

_ Max eventually returned home where he found his mother alone, crying with an empty bottle of scotch in her hand. Max knew what was coming; his mom was a recovering alcoholic, a violent one. Immediately his mother went into a frenzy, she blamed him for his father leaving them and proceeded to abuse him. Max awoke the next day in his room, bruised all over, and his found hi door to be blocked from the outside. He was only 9 years old._

_ Now max was on his way to his special place because he had been betrayed by the last two people he trusted in the world. It was his girlfriend Cassandra's birthday today and Max had decided to surprise her by going over to her house early so he could be alone with her before the party. When he approached the door to her house Max looked through the large bay window that was located at the front of the house. What he saw horrified him, Cassandra and Max's best friend, Tyler, were both sitting on the front couch, KISSING! Max hadn't felt this betrayed since his father left and again Max ran through the woods, after ten minutes of running he slowed to a walk._

_ Max neared the cave but stopped as he neared the entrance, he heard something. He couldn't quite make it out, but he was almost certain it was the sound of a Pokémon whimpering. Max thought about leaving to avoid confrontation but max was just about as angry as he was upset. He thought to himself that if that Pokémon had a problem with him being there then that Pokémon could make max leave, or at least it could try._

_ Max made his way into the cave barely trying to be silent, after all, what did he care if he got killed by a wild Pokémon, he didn't have any real reason to live anymore. He rounded the corner into the main cavern of the cave. It was dark but max could barely make out a figure in the corner. Then something strange happened. _

"_Why are you here?" he suddenly heard in his head. He was caught off guard and was unable to respond in time. "Why are you here!" the voice said again, angered. Max felt something grip his collar, lift him into the air and thrust him against the wall. He suddenly saw a blue sphere materialize inches from his face. "One last chance…" The voice said "why are you here?" _

_Max pressed his luck and replied curtly "I could ask you the same thing." The Pokémon slammed the blue sphere into his chest, knocking the wind out of him._

_ "This is the place where I was born and raised. I need no reason!" the Pokémon screamed at him this time with its actual voice. The Pokémon now had two more spheres ready and Max could now see its face more clearly. It was a lucario, rather short with wet fur under its eyes, based on the tone of the voice max guessed it was a female. _

"_Fair enough," Max said "I guess I owe you an answer now. My guess is that I'm here for the same reason you are, because I wanted to be alone and I feel safe here."_

_ The lucario looked him up and down and concluding that the human before her was being honest extinguished one sphere and allowed the other to diminish until it served to be no more than a light. She sat down adjacent to max._

_ After a few seconds of silence the lucario spoke again "How did you know I came here to be alone?" _

_Max simply replied "Well first, you were alone and second, you seemed pretty upset. I just put two and two together." Another few moments of silence passed before Max broke it "May I ask why you were so upset?"_

"_I thought you would be able to figure that out yourself." She answered "Do you see my family with me?" she didn't have to say anymore, Max got the picture._

"_I'm sorry." Max said._

"_You have no reason to be sorry." She replied "And I don't require your pity."_

"_Sympathy." Max corrected "I said it out of sympathy not pity."_

"_May I ask why you are so upset?" the lucario asked Max._

"_It's a long story." Max said._

"_I've got time." The lucario replied._

_Max followed with "Alright, I guess I'll start with how I found this place…"and max told that lucario his life's story starting from the day his father left._

"_I am also sorry for you." The lucario said after max had finished his story._

"_You have no reason to be sorry." Max replied, a smirk crawling across his face. The lucario also grinned. "Do you have a name I can call you by?" max asked._

_She said something unrecognizable to Max but quickly after seeing his confusion continued "…which translates to Grace in the human tongue. And your name is?_

"_My name is Max, nice to meet you grace." Max answered extending his hand for a handshake. To Max's surprise Grace knew what to do grasping his hand and shaking with such force that he thought his hand might fall off. "So with your family gone what are you gonna do now?" Max asked her_

"_Probably travel the region, try to make the most of my life." She Replied. Suddenly Max had an idea._

"_Would i…" Max hesitated "Would it be alright if I came with you?" Max knew he wanted to leave town but didn't know why he wanted to leave with this lucario all of a sudden._

"_I don't see why not." Grace offered "But doesn't that mean you would be leaving your mom and friends behind?"_

"_You heard my story. My mom hasn't been my mom for years and I don't have friends anymore."_

"_Well then I guess we'll start off in the morning." Grace said. "Better get some sleep."_

"_Don't have to tell me twice!" Max exclaimed. "I'm so tired."_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Max and Grace made their way down the path out of the small city they had visited to get supplies. It had been 1 ½ years since Max had left home, 1 ½ years since he and Grace had met. Naturally Max had found Graces Pokémon quirks to be slightly irritating and Grace had felt the same about Max's habits, but after a week or so they began to grow on each other. The duo had set up camp in a nearby wood the night before and planned on going on a shopping trip for supplies at the local pokemart. As far as Max could tell the shopping trip went fine, they found all they needed and even got a good sale on some steaks for that night's dinner, but something was up with Grace.

"Ok…" Max started "…what's wrong with you."

"What do you mean?" Grace replied "I'm fine."

"Grace you've said it before, I can always tell when you lie." He confronted her "So be honest with me, what is bothering you."

"Well, it's just…" she began "…it's just what happened in the pokemart. You know with that other trainer and her lucario."

"What about it bothers you?" Max asked "What is it the fact that they had their arms around each other like a couple would?"

"Yeah." Grace answered "I just don't know how I feel about that. I mean a human and a Pokémon in a relationship is kinda weird, isn't it?"

"I guess it's a little out of the ordinary yes." Max offered "But, who are we to say they can't be together. I don't know what to make of it myself but I try to keep an open mind about things that may seem strange." This seemed to confuse Grace even more so Max changed the subject "Should I gather the firewood today or do you want to?"

"Would you mind getting it? I need to meditate." She replied.

"Alright, I'll stay within earshot of the camp in case you need me for something." Max said. When they made it to the campsite Grace sat down on the mat Max had gotten her for meditating during month two of their travels. Crossing her legs and closing her eyes Max could hear her aura begin to hum like it always did when she meditated. Max wandered off deeper into the woods to find firewood.

Max was starting to get a headache; he just couldn't stop thinking about that girl and her Pokémon that they saw in the store. He could understand a strong bond between Pokémon and trainer, but could it really become so strong that they could love one another? Max couldn't help but think if that would ever happen to him. Could he really be physically and emotionally interested in a Pokémon? He began to head back to the camp after retrieving an armload of wood.

Grace hated how Max could read her like an open book, but she liked it at the same time. She knew few humans so she often compared people to other lucarios she used to know. Of all the lucarios she knew only one, her best friend, had spent enough time to learn her quirks to know when Grace was upset or confused. Her friends name was Syrana, and it had taken her at least two years to learn Graces body language, here Max had figured it out in mere weeks. Thinking about her old friend made Grace think about how she missed her. Syrana had decided to go with a trainer, a young girl named Miranda, a number of years ago. Grace suddenly felt something with her aura, something potentially dangerous.

Max was about half way to the camp now, he didn't realize how lost in his thoughts he had been, being about a half mile away from the camp. "_Crack" _Max spun around dropping the wood. All around him was a pack of Mightyena. "Shit." He said under his breath. He quickly looked around and picked up the biggest branch he found. The Mightyena circled him, drawing closer. The first lunged, Max spun and dodged the dog, bring the branch around to hit it in the back of the head. Max one thing he had learned from his abusive mother, how to dodge a hit. The Mightyena, though staggered held its ground. The rest didn't move but simply kept Max and the other Mightyena trapped. The Mightyena kept up the attack, mas held his own well but still received a plenty of bad gashes on his forearm, all of a sudden the Mightyena used smokescreen. Max couldn't see and the smoke burned his lungs, just as the smoke cleared the Mightyena hit hard, bringing a shadow claw to bear across Max's back. Max fell, unable to go on, a series of excited yapps and barks came from the group. The Mightyena circled once, as if to gloat, and stopped in plain view of Max, it brought up its claws, ready to strike Max's throat.

"_Boom"_ Suddenly a blue explosion hit the Mightyena. It became obvious to Max that Grace had come to help him. The pack stirred into frenzy and turned their attention to the new threat, they never stood a chance. Grace was nothing but a flurry of blue, when you see her at all, she used every move at her disposal to take down the pack. Max could only watch as his friend pummeled the Mightyena until the alpha let loose a howl of retreat and the pack disappeared.

"Maybe next time I should get the firewood." Grace said, hefting Max up and throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on…" Max said coughing "…can't let you have all the fun. How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Aura sight does wonders." She answered "Now stop talking and conserve your energy, your cut up pretty bad." They made their way back to the camp and Grace checked Max's wounds in the tent. "You're lucky that was just a young one. He wouldn't have wasted time show boating if it weren't his rite of passage."

"That's what that was? Ow!" Max asked as Grace began cleaning his wounds.

"Yes, and quit squirming." She said in a commanding tone "Most packs have some kind of rite of passage, my tribe even had one."

"Really…" Max started "… and what was your rite of passage.

"You just witnessed what it was." She replied "I had to take out an entire pack of Mightyena single handedly."

"Guess that came in handy." He offered "But I still think you could have taken them without it."

"Oh aren't you a charmer?" Grace said sarcastically "Ok I'm gonna need you to take off your shirt to check this nasty wound on your back." Max took off his shirt and sat back down in front of Grace. "Deep…" Grace explained "…but I don't think you'll need stitches." She finished up dressing his wounds and fetched Max a fresh shirt. "Well thanks to you we need to go back into town to get some more first aid supplies."

Max was down the first aid aisle at the pokemart picking up some more alcohol pads and bandages, Grace was off wandering the store looking for something she wanted Max to buy for her, he felt like she deserved something. He got all he needed and started towards the small coffee shop inside the store where he and Grace decided to meet up at. He ordered a small latte and sat down at a table.

"What happened to your arm?" a girl behind max asked.

"Just a run in with some wild Pokémon." Max said turning around to see the girl "I'm fine tho…" Max stopped because he was looking straight at the girl who he had seen with the lucario earlier that same day.

"What's wrong?" She asked, puzzled "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Sorry…" Max apologized "…it's just I saw you earlier with that lucario and…" he trailed off.

"And you're wondering why and or how I'm in a relationship with a Pokémon." She finished for him.

"Yeah, just a little bit." Max admitted. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind." She replied "It's a long story though."

"Not too big of a fan of long stories." Max informed her.

"Well then I guess I could give you the short version." The girl replied. She then went on to tell max of how she first met the lucario roughly 3 years ago and that their relationship started 2 years ago. The girl and lucario had met and became good friends. Later, they grew closer and closer and the girl trusted the lucario whole heartedly, even with her life. One day that trust had been put to the test and the lucario had saved the girls life. After that the two fell in love and they didn't care about the whole interspecies debate.

"I guess if you've been through so much together it's no wonder why you love each other." Max decided.

"Pokémon have emotions too." The girl explained "Arguably Pokémon have the emotional capacity of humans. Oh, I'm sorry to have to leave but Colin is back." Colin was the name of her lucario.

"No problem." Max assured her "I have to say though, I never did get your name."

"Oh sorry about that." She apologized, extending her arm for a handshake "My name is Eliza"

"Max" He replied returning the handshake "Nice to meet you." Eliza left greeting her lucario with a hug. Max thought about what the girl had told him for another ten minutes or so before realizing that Grace still wasn't back. He went to look for her.

Little did Max know Grace had had a similar experience as he; having run into Colin, Eliza's lucario. Grace was still trying to form an opinion off of the story she heard from Colin, which was almost exactly the same as the one Max had heard. Eventually Max found her staring off into space.

"Hey Grace. Hellooo." Max pressed for a reaction,

"Huh, wha." Grace got out as she returned to earth "Oh, hey Max, what's up?"

"You were staring into space, that's what." Max retorted.

"Sorry I was just thinking." Grace explained.

"About what?" he asked

"I ran into that lucario we saw with that girl earlier and I talked to him." She answered

A smirk made its way across Max's face as he said "How ironic, I just talked to the girl we saw him with."

"Then I take it you already heard the story." Grace implied

"Yup" Max replied "You still as confused as I am?"

"Probably more." She answered

"Come on we can talk about it more when we get back to camp." Max said "If you want."

"Something tells me I'm not gonna get much sleep tonight." Grace said following Max to the exit.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Max felt like a complete idiot, he should have brought all their gear with them to the store. While Max and Grace were at the store the Mightyena pack returned and trashed the campsite.

"Guess that pack was full of extremely sore losers." Max stated as he sifted through the shreds of tent and sleeping bags "Good thing I keep the food in my pack, or they would have gotten that too." Grace didn't say anything. "Grace?" Max turned away from the remains of the tent and saw Grace on the other side of the fire pit looking at something; tears were welling up in her eyes. He walked over to her and knelt beside her to see what she was looking at. It was the meditation mat that Max had gotten her. Max understood why she was upset; she had been so happy when he got it for her and she used it every day. "Grace, I can get you another." Grace burst into tears. "Come on don't be like that, it will be alright." Max pleaded.

"Max you don't understand…." Grace managed to get out between sobs "…that was the first gift I've received in a long time. It meant a lot to me."

"I… I didn't know you cared so much about a mat." Max explained.

"It's not just a mat to me." She muttered and continued to cry.

Max placed a comforting on her back and said "I promise, I'll get you another tomorrow." He looked at his watch; it read 8:47P.M. "It's getting late, you go to bed and I'll get a fire going." Max fished his one spare blanket from his pack and placed it on Grace's shoulders. She smiled at him through her tears and silently thanked him. Max placed some sticks in the pit and used his flint striker to start a fire. After he had a decent fire going he sat opposite Grace, the fire between them. Max leaned up against the log behind him and breathed a sigh of relief that the day was almost over. He looked over at Grace to find that she had fallen asleep; he was inclined to do the same. Max had just began to get drowsy but perked up when he heard a sound come from Graces side of the fire. It looked like Grace was having a dream, a bad one, because she was tossing and turning while muttering something he couldn't make out.

Max had seen her have bad dreams before and woke her up once, that ended rather badly. When Max woke her up he got an aura sphere to the face, she apologized to him and asked him to not wake her up again. Max tried to just ignore her like usual, but this dream seemed worse than normal so he made his way near her. "Hey, hey Grace." He said while shaking her shoulder. _"Thud… Crack!"_ The last time Max just got a half powered aura sphere, this time he got a full powered force palm which threw him through the, slamming him into a tree.

"Oh my god!" Grace shouted "Max I'm so sorry."

"I…o…ok" Is all he could get out.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Grace pleaded "Please don't be mad." Max coughed up some blood, which didn't do much for Grace's hysteria, but managed to stand up with some help.

"No, I'd never be mad at you for that. I am the one who woke you up." Max said between gasps. Grace helped him sit down on a patch of soft moss and covered him with the blanket. It took Grace a while, but she calmed down.

"Can I do anything to make it up to you?" Grace asked.

"No, you don't need to do anything." Max assured her.

"Please, I won't be able to forgive myself otherwise." She pleaded.

"Ok, just answer a question for me." Max said.

"Yes." Grace followed.

"What kind of nightmare were you having, where you would be prepared to throw an all-out force palm?" He asked. "It didn't seem like the usual nightmare."

"It was just about, those Mightyena earlier…" She said, trailing off "…You know when they attacked you."

"But you stopped them, I'm fine now." Max explained "Why is that making you have bad dreams?"

"Because, in the dream…" Grace hesitated "… in the dream, I didn't get there in time to save you." Max could see tears welling in her eyes.

"Didn't think you cared that much." Max said, finally able to breath normally again.

"Why wouldn't I?" Grace asked "We are friends aren't we?"

"Well, yeah, of course we are." Max answered "I guess I'm just not used to people caring about me that much."

"Max, you got to stop using past events as a baseline for the rest of your life." Grace told him. "Even if you can't trust anyone else, you can always trust me."

"Ok" Max said "I'm sorry for thinking you might act like everyone else." All of a sudden the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. "Looks like it's gonna get a lot colder, get under here." Max said and lifted up the blanket, so grace could slide under.

"Won't that be a little awkward?" Grace asked with a confused look on her face.

"Come on, we're friends right?" Max asked with a sly smile on his face. Grace shrugged and slid in next to him. "See it's not that awkward. Is it?" Grace didn't answer, but that's because she thought Max might be able to tell why she had hesitated.

During Grace's dream she had realized something; she might actually have deeper feelings for Max. It's not that she didn't trust Max; she just didn't want to scare him away. After hours of thinking on these things she finally found sleep. Being so close to Max gave her wonderful dreams and she would come to wish to always have an excuse to sleep with him.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Max was walking towards Cassandra's house, it was her birthday. He peered through the front window and saw nobody on the couch. Max knocked on the door and heard footsteps inside, the window that covered the peephole slid to the side and quickly slid back into place. The door flew open and Max was tackled to the ground in a hug. "Max!" Max looked up and saw, too his surprise, Grace hugging him as tightly as she could. "Grace?!" Max couldn't believe it. "Who else you dummy? Or are you just playing dumb cause I think it's cute?" Max was absolutely speechless. "What's wrong hun?" Max still couldn't find words. "Oh I see, this is all too confusing for you. I love it when you look confused, heck I just love you." Max finally formed words "What?" Grace giggled "Ok I'll stop confusing you. Wake up."_

Max woke up from the strange dream with a nasty headache. Grace was still asleep with her arms wrapped around him, her head resting on his chest. Max couldn't help but now notice how cute she looked when she slept, she looked so peaceful. He shook his head to try and get the thought out of his head; he can't actually be falling for Grace, could he? Max told himself no but still found himself admiring Grace as she slept. Max kept thinking about it, and the more he did the more he realized he might actually love her. This didn't bother him, but the fact that it didn't bother him bothered him. He did tell Grace he tried to keep an open mind, so he decided not to fight his feelings, but he wouldn't act on them. "Hey Grace, wake up its morning."

"Huh?" Grace stirred "Oh, good morning Max." Max gestured towards her arms. "Oh sorry, didn't mean to hug on you." She let him go.

"It's ok, I don't really mind, as long as you were comfortable." Max explained.

"I was, I didn't have any bad dreams." She told him.

"That's good, I hate seeing you when you're having a nightmare." Max said. "I had a pretty good dream myself."

"Oh really, what was it about?" Grace asked him.

"I'll tell you eventually." Max explained "I want to keep it to myself for now."

"Ok, but you promise you will tell me eventually, right?" she asked.

"Yes, I promise." Max assured her "Come on let's get to the store to get a new tent and your new mat." They packed up their stuff and headed back into town. They found the camping aisle after getting Grace her new mat. "Damn." Max muttered "Looks like we don't have enough."

Grace began to say "Well we could put my mat back and…"

"No, even if we did we still wouldn't have enough." Max explained "The tent cost $100 and we have $60 left after your $15 mat. We can, however, buy two more sleeping bags."

"Well, if that's all we can afford then I guess that is what we will have to get." She reasoned.

"Yeah, after that we will be out of money though." Max said in a slightly depressed tone.

Grace thought for a moment. "Well we already have a blanket, I can use that and you could get one sleeping bag for you." She said "If we do that we will still have money left over for food and stuff."

"Sounds good, but winter is gonna be here soon." He explained "A blanket won't be enough to keep you warm."

"Fine, then we can move from city to city and stay at pokecenters to save money." Grace offered.

"What happens if we have to spend more than one day of travel to get to a city?" Max asked "We will be stuck out in the snow."

"If it gets too bad we can find a cave or something. Or, we could sleep together again." She could help but smile when she said those words.

"You seem to like that idea a little too much." Max confronted her "Could it be you enjoyed yourself a little last night?" Though he couldn't see it beneath her fur Max knew Grace was blushing, maybe she did enjoy sleeping with him.

There it was again, Max reading grace like an open book. She had dreamed about them doing a little more than sleeping though. "You know, we never did get a chance to talk about our conversations yesterday." She reminded Max.

"Oh yeah, we didn't. Here, let's grab this stuff and head out for the next town. We can talk about it on the way." Max and Grace grabbed their things, went and paid for it, then made their way to the next town.

"So what do you think?" Grace asked Max.

"About what?" Max replied.

"A human and a Pokémon in a relationship." She answered

Max pondered for a moment "Well, the way I see it, based on the couple we met, if a human and a Pokémon both want to be in a relationship and have a similar bond as any other couple, they should be allowed to be together." Max reasoned.

"I guess I agree with you there." Grace said. They continued through the rest of the day traveling and just talking about the usual. They arrived at the next town around dusk, the sun had just went down, Max and Grace made their way into the Pokémon center.

"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon center, can I help you." Said the Nurse Joy at the counter.

"Yes, do you offer lodging for travelers at this Pokémon center?" Max asked her

"Why yes we do, but I'm afraid we only have single rooms left." Nurse Joy answered.

"That will have to work, the weather is getting bad outside and we don't have much money left." He explained.

Nurse Joy took a key out from under the counter "Ok here's your room key, you'll be in room 11B, it's down the hall on the left." She told him.

"Alright, thank you Nurse Joy." Max said as he and grace started down the hall.

"You're welcome, have a nice night." She called down the hall to them. Max and Grace found their room and started to make themselves comfortable. Grace laid out her new mat to meditate and Max went to use the room's shower. Max hadn't had a real shower in forever, since he had left with Grace he just bathed in streams, it was a nice change of pace. After his shower Max changed into a fresh set of clothes and returned to the bed room. He pulled out the sleeping bag and began setting it out on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Grace asked him her eyes still closed.

"I figured since there was only one bed I would take the floor." Max explained to her.

"Oh no, you're still recovering from your injuries, you take the bed." Grace told him.

"Grace, I appreciate your concern but I'll be fine with the sleeping bag." He assured

Grace thought for a moment and then stood up and walked towards him. "Fine, you can sleep in the sleeping bag." She told him. She then ushered him aside, picked up the sleeping bag and laid it out on the bed. "The sleeping bag stays there though."

"And where are you gonna sleep?" Max asked.

"The floor…" She answered "…unless you want to share the bed."

Max got a look on his face that Grace couldn't read. He was thinking hard about something that would change his and Graces lives for the better. "Grace, be honest with me, you want to share the bed don't you?" Max asked her. All Grace could do was look at her feet like a child who was caught taking an extra cookie from the jar. "That's what I thought." Max said taking a step closer to Grace. "I guess I should tell you something then." He suddenly took her paws and looked her in the eyes "I think I love you." He leaned in and kissed her.

"Oh Max!" Grace squealed, hugging him "You don't know how happy that makes me." They both fell on to the bed laughing, kissing and hugging. "You sure you are ready for another relationship already?" Grace asked jokingly "It's only been about a year and a half." Max didn't say anything; he just held her close and kissed her passionately. Suddenly they both seemed rather tired; the stress of uncertainty between them was more stressful than they had known.

"Goodnight Grace." Max said "I love you."

"I love you too Max." Grace said in a tone of relief and contentment.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Max woke up early that morning but he didn't get out of bed. He just kept lying there and smiling to himself about the events of last night. He still couldn't believe he worked up the courage to tell Grace how he felt. Even more to his surprise, Grace returned those feelings immediately. Max couldn't help but feel like his live was going to get infinitely better. Grace was someone, he felt, he could always trust, she wouldn't betray him. Max glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 6:34A.M., the clock also read the date, Dec. 4th. Max quickly, making sure not to disturb Grace, slid out of bed. He got dressed and grabbed a piece of paper off the small desk in the room; he was going to write a note for Grace when she woke up.

**Grace,**

** I'm heading into town to see if anyplace would be able to hire me for a few days. I figure we could use the money. It's 6:45 when I'm righting this note and I should be back by noon.**

**Sincer ely**** Love,**

** Max**

Max made his way towards the front desk where Nurse Joy was enjoying a cup of coffee. "Good morning." She regarded Max.

"Good morning Nurse Joy." Max replied "I was wondering if you had any help wanted ads for the town."

"The daily paper just came in." Nurse Joy explained "Here are the classifieds." She handed Max a page from the newspaper. Max thanked her and headed out the door, reading through the classifieds.

Max stopped by the local diner for their busboy position, it was already filled, then the hardware store to work inventory, the owner didn't think he looked strong enough to move the inventory around. Finally, Max got a week long position with a local farmer to help him haul hay. The farmer was generous, offering Max $20 for every load hauled, he told Max he would start in the morning. Max returned to the Pokecenter and walked down the hall to the room, he slowed down as he approached the door, it sounded like Grace was talking to someone. Max inserted the key into the doorknob and turned them both slowly, cracking the door open a little.

"Yeah, that's what…" Grace stopped "Max you don't have to sneak up on us, just come in and say hello." She must have sensed him coming down the hallway. Max walked in noticing Grace's guest was Eliza, the girl who he met at the last town, the girl who was dating a lucario.

"Didn't expect to see you again so soon." Max told Eliza "What brings you here?"

"Colin and I got here the day before yesterday; I recognized Grace here to be your lucario and thought I would say hi." Eliza explained.

"Please, Grace isn't "my" lucario and never will be." Max explained "We're just friends." Grace shot him a look. "Or at least we were just friends."

"Yes, Grace told me about your recent change in relationship status." Eliza said with a smile "I'm happy for you two."

"Come on and sit down Max, quit standing their looking like your walking into an ambush." Grace urged him. Max deposited his pack and shoes near the door and sat down next to Grace on the bed. "Me and Eliza were just talking about how we are staying here for a while, so you can get some money." Grace explained.

"Colin and I are leaving today before the weather gets too bad." Eliza explained. Then, Eliza's watch beeped twice. "Oh look at the time. I gotta go, me and Colin are gonna start packing up to leave." She got up and made for the door.

"Goodbye, safe travels." Grace said as the door shut behind Eliza. She turned towards Max and gave him a troubling look.

"What?" Max spluttered.

"Next time we have guests, try not to look like they're gonna be the end of you." Grace growled at him.

"I'm sorry, I was just caught a little off guard." Max explained to her "That was the last thing I would have expected to happen when I came back."

"You're dating a Pokémon now Max…" She said wrapping her arms around him "…you have to expect the unexpected now.

"Oh, like the fact that your paw is getting closer and closer to my crotch?" Max said raising and eyebrow. Grace giggled a little and put her hand back on Max's chest.

"Ahhh." She gave Max her puppy dog face "I just want to have a little fun."

"Grace…" Max gave her a half scowl half smile "… our relationship just started yesterday."

"So, we've known each other for longer." She reasoned

"I know we have…"Max started "…but I want to wait until we are in a relationship for a longer period of time." Grace frowned a little. "I promise that, eventually, we will "fool" around."

"I guess I don't want you to feel rushed into anything." She said "Besides I can still do this." She pushed him onto his back, with considerable force, and kissed him. "Oh, how I enjoy that."

"Some might say a little too much." Max laughed.

"Max?" she said.

"Yes Grace." He answered.

"When can I expect to be ready, to do…well you know?" She asked him. Max thought a moment.

"I can't guarantee I will be ready, but ask me in another three weeks or so." He told her.

"Ok." She said with a smile "So, did you get a job today?"

"Yeah, I'm helping a farmer haul hay for $20 a load." Max explained.

"That's good, how long we going to be here for?" She asked.

"The job is supposed to be for a week." He answered "Will you be fine for that long?"

"As long as you're with me." She said hugging Max closer. "I'll always be fine with you around." Her stomach growled a little.

"You hungry?" He asked

"A little." She answered. Max and Grace stood up.

"Come on, we can eat at the diner in town." Max said. As they started out the door grace put her arm around his waist. "Don't you think people will give us weird looks?" He asked her.

"Eliza said most of the people in this town don't really care." Grace explained.

"Ok let's go then." Max said placing his arm around her waist too. Max and Grace didn't get scrutinized by anyone in town about being a couple; an Officer Jenny even smiled and waved at them. After eating at the diner they both went back to the Pokecenter and fell asleep together in their room. Max had set his alarm for 7:30A.M. so he would be awake for work at 8:00.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Alright Max that's the last load you'll have to do." Said Joshua, the farmer Max got a job hauling hay for, as he handed Max a small wad of money. "I appreciate you extending your stay on account of my fractured wrist."

"No problem Mr. J." Max assured him as he counted the money. "Uhh, Mr. J, I only did 2 loads today."

"Your point is boy?" Joshua asked.

"Well, you paid me for 3." Max explained.

"Well boy you stayed an extra week and a half to help me with the rest of my cut." Joshua told him "I wouldn't feel right about it unless you let me slip in a little extra for you when the job was done."

"Mr. J honestly, I don't need the extra, it was just the right thing to do." Max held out the extra $20 to Joshua.

"Boy, what did I tell you about this "Mr. J" business?" Joshua asked "It's Joshua, and if you can't accept the money as a thank you take it as an early Christmas gift."

"Thank you Mist…" Max caught himself "…Joshua."

"You just get back to that wonderful Pokémon of yours." Joshua told him, Max started towards the main road. "And thank her for the lunch she brought us!" Max waved back at Joshua one last time before turning and running the rest of the way to the Pokecenter. He walked down the hall to room 11B and went in. Max found Grace curled up on the bed, television still on, asleep. Max sniffed his shirt, he smelled like a damn horse stable. Max undressed and got in the shower. He washed up, quickly, and put on some fresh clothes.

"Hey babe." Grace said, yawning, while stretching. "How was work?"

"Good. Joshua gave me an extra $20 as an early Christmas present." Max told her, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Well that's nice of him." She said "So are we gonna head out today like you planned?"

"If all goes accordingly." He told her "And so far everything is." Max and Grace got most of their stuff packed and Max grabbed something for Grace. "Hey Grace, I got this for you to keep you warm." He handed her a light blue winter vest.

"Oh look it matches my fur." She said as she happily slid it on. "Thank you Max."

"Well it's gonna be a three day trip and the temperature is supposed to drop a little so I wanted you to be plenty warm." He explained

"Three days? But isn't Christmas in two days?" She asked him.

"Yeah but don't worry. I already got your present." He told her

"But, max I don't have anything for you." She said

"You don't need to give me anything." Max said "How you react to your present will, most likely, make me happy enough"

"But Max I won't feel right getting a present from you and not giving you anything." Grace explained, frowning.

"Babe, if it makes you feel better, when we get to the next town we can go to the store and you can pick something out for me." He told her, taking her by the waist.

"Ok." She said, giving him a hug. "Ok let's head out."

"That's the spirit." Max said as both of them headed out the door. Max returned their room key to Nurse joy and she wished them safe travels. Max and grace followed the road signs to the path that would take them to the main road to their destination. "I miss the outdoors." Max said after they had traveled for at least an hour.

"Me too." Grace agreed "Well, since we have a tent again we can spend more time out here."

"That will be nice, just you and me in alone, in a tent, in the wilderness." Max said dreamily "Hopefully we won't run into anymore Mightyena."

"Yeah we don't need you to get all cut up again." Grace giggled "Of course it would give me a reason to strip you down."

"We both know how much you would love to do that." He blushed. Max didn't blush much and when he did it was usually wasn't for the most obvious reasons. Grace knew something was up with him though she most likely would never figure it out on her own. So she just continued with the typical talk, passing the time. Around dusk they found a small clearing, out of the way of the path, and set up their tent. They started a small fire and ate some food before going to bed. Max and Grace curled up together in their sleeping bag, said their goodnights, and fell asleep.

The next morning Max woke up early and checked outside, there was about two inches of snow on the ground. Max returned inside to wake up Grace so they could get on their way. "Grace, you're gonna have to get up." Max said in a soft loving tone.

"5 more minutes." Grace protested, pulling her face deeper into the sleeping bag.

"You better get up or you won't get your gift today." He bargained with her.

"I'm up!" She said, immediately sitting upright.

"Cool your jets." Max told her "You still won't get it until tonight."

"You're really going to make me wait that long?" Grace asked, slightly frustrated.

"Hey, you're lucky I'm giving it to you on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day." He told her. Grace still was reluctant to get moving. "The quicker we get moving, the quicker night will come."

"Alright I'll grab my coat." She said, giving in to Max. The pair packed their sleeping bag and the tent then set off, once again, down the trail. Grace, in an attempt to get the time to pass by quicker, kept the conversations coming. She even went into a rant, when there was little to talk about, about how much she hated persim berries. But no matter what Grace did the day just dragged on and on. For her, it was an eternity to travel the 12 miles they did in 5 hours. Luckily, or not so luckily, she caught a break which would force the two to set up camp for the night.

"Dang this blizzard sure rolled in fast!" Max yelled over the rushing wind and snow. "Come on, we need to find a cave or something to get out of this."

"You think I don't know that? I'm freezing my fur off out here!" Grace yelled back. Then Grace caught a glimpse of a dark, circular, spot on the rock face about 10 yards to the left of the path. "Over here! I see a cave!" She yelled, taking Max's hand to help guide him. Once they were inside Max got a fire going from the few branches they had found inside the entrance of the cave. "I thought you said it was supposed to only "get a little colder" on our way to the next town."

"Hey don't blame me, blame the weather man." Max said. "Now come over here and hug me. I'm freezing!" Grace walked over to where Max was sitting, sat down, and held him close."

After a few minutes Max said "You know, I could give you your present now. If you want?" Grace gave him an exited nod. "Alright stand up and turn around so I can surprise you." Grace did as she was told. "I gave it a lot of thought…and finally figured out what would probably make you the happiest." Max said coming up behind her. To graces surprise, Max came up behind her and hugged her.

"Is that it?" Grace asked, quite disappointed.

"Not even close." Max whispered into her ear, his hot breath making Graces fur stand on end. His hand traveled down her stomach until it reached her waistband, his pinky just barely going under it. "You like your gift so far?" Max continued without waiting for an answer. His hand went down lower until it completely disappeared into her shorts. Grace uttered a soft moan as Max's hand just barely touched her sex. "You ready?" He asked Grace. She nodded. Max began stroking her entrance lightly, causing Grace to shudder. Max's fingers were beginning to get quite wet, so he began to press his middle finger in. Grace let loose another moan, this one a little louder. Max worked his finger in and out of her, making sure to brush up against her slit occasionally. Grace's breathing was quickening, she had never felt so good in her life.

"Oh Max." She moaned, encouraging him to keep going. Max went a little deeper and faster. After a few more minutes of this Grace was tired of waiting. "Max, I'm ready."

"You sure?" He asked

"Yes, I want… I want you inside me." She answered, giving another moan. Max stopped and pulled his hand out of her pants. Grace turned around and hugged him tight, kissing him passionately; she hadn't even noticed that he had taken off his shirt. Max led her to the sleeping bag which he had laid out when she had her backed turned, she laid down on it. Max lied on top of her and kissed her more; they kept grinding against each other to stay excited. After that Max sat up, until he was kneeling in front of Grace, and slid Grace's shorts off. This revealed to Max how the curves of her body really were, beneath those shorts were beautiful hips that gave Grace a wonderful hourglass figure. Also hidden by those shorts was the thing that would bring him, and Grace, much pleasure. Grace's sex was open, ready for Max, a beautiful, pink entrance in the middle of her blue fur. Max unbuttoned his jeans and, as he slid into position, Grace helped him take them off and she threw them and his underwear aside.

"Are you ready Grace?" Max asked for her permission.

"I am, but, be gentle Max." She told him "I'm still a virgin." Max nodded and pressed his cock against her entrance. Grace's heart raced at the sight of her love's cock so close to her. Max began to push into her entrance and Grace moaned loudly. Max continued deeper until he met a resistance, he tried to push gently through it but to no avail, he looked up at Grace, who he could tell was feeling some pain at this point. She nodded but both Max and Grace knew that this would cause her some pain. Max worked her a little more with his tip, trying to pleasure as much as possible before he went further. Max pulled out about half and looked up at Grace again, to tell her he was about to go all the way, she looked worried. Max placed a hand under her chin, stoking her cheek with his thumb, looked her in the eyes and gave her a kiss to tell her it would be alright. Grace held him close, readying herself, and max with one last breath before he humped her with a quick jerk. Grace yelped in pain, squeezing Max so tightly he thought he might crack a rib. He waited for her to loosen her grip a little before continuing.

Grace could tell she was holding Max too tight, but she couldn't help it, she was in too much pain. After she eased up Max continued, Grace's pain subsided and with every thrust she felt her pleasure grow. Grace's breathing got heavier and faster, until she was panting. It felt so good, but she still wanted more. "Harder." She moaned to Max "Fuck me harder" Grace began to grind up in rhythm with Max to increase his, and her, pleasure. Max's breathing was getting even faster, and he quickened his pace.

"Grace." He moaned "I'm close."

"Keep going babe." She said "It feels so good." Max hugged her tight and started grinding her harder, until he couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm going to cum!" He moaned loudly, starting to pull out. Grace rolled over, pinning him, so she was on top.

"No Max, I want you to finish inside me." She explained "I want to feel your cum inside me." Grace took the job of grinding down of him; it was obvious that Max's energy was waning. "Max!" She practically screamed as she climaxed. Max followed closely, rolling back on top and slamming his hips forward, planting his whole cock in her, pushes his hot juices deep within her. Grace felt the hot fluids welling up in her pussy, until they spilled out of her, she had never felt better. Grace didn't want it to end, but she knew it would soon. Max released a few more spurts of cum before collapsing on top of Grace.

"Merry Christmas Grace." Max panted, before passing out.

"Merry Christmas Max. I love you." She said to the now passed out max. She kissed him on the cheek and embraced him in his afterglow, and then she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Max woke up when the sun, shining through the entrance of the cave, hit him in the face. The scene outside was beautiful, a thick blanket of fresh snow covered the ground and the tree limbs, Max could see a herd of Deerling, headed by a large Sawsbuck, in the nearby clearing. Max thought about the events of last night and couldn't help but laugh at himself for passing out immediately after he had finished. He hoped Grace wasn't mad at him for it, he didn't see why she would be though. He rolled over and reached across to give Grace a hug, but she wasn't there. Max was confused; Grace had just been there when Max had woken to grab the blanket. "Grace, where did ya go?" He called.

"Over here." Max heard her call from deeper in the cave "Put on some clothes then come here." Max noticed the stack of his clothes near his bed; Grace must have laid them out for him. Max didn't bother with the shirt, he was too curious as to why Grace was deeper in the cave, he put on his underwear and pants and went to find Grace.

"Grace, you back here?" Max called.

"Yeah, back here." Grace called back. Max noticed something about the pitch of her voice; it seemed to waver a little, almost like she was upset about something. Max rounded the corner of the cave and saw Grace standing near a wall, covered with engravings. Max could tell she had been crying because her eyes were red.

"Honey what's wrong?" Max asked her.

"I forgot about this place." She sniffed, still staring at the wall.

"Forgot about what?" Max asked "What happened here?"

"My, my older brother..." Grace stifled back a sob "…this is where he died." Max didn't know what to say. "It was so long ago." Grace continued "When I was just a Riolu. He had gotten jumped by a group of rogue Houndoom. He managed to get home, but he was in bad shape." Grace stopped.

"Grace you don't have to tell me." Max told her. Grace just shook her head.

"No, I want to tell you." Grace assured him, regaining her composure. "He was hurt bad, and mom tried as hard as she could to save him, there was nothing she could do. My mom was devastated, and so was I. My brother, Auron, was my best friend when I was little. He always looked out for me." She smiled a little through the tears. "On his dying breath he told me that he would miss me the most, but I would see him again if Arceus allowed it. My dad carved these." She passed her hand over the markings on the wall. "They tell of how my brother's aura, how it was stronger than most. But this last section explains something I didn't understand when I saw it happen. When my brother died a piece of his aura left his body. This says that those lucario, who have exceptionally strong auras, have another being in the world who's aura match theirs. My brother's aura was left behind to find, and join that other aura."

"So his aura melded with someone else's." Max inquired.

"I'm not sure; it says that Arceus places those auras where the twin aura will eventually find it. It could take seconds, or years." Grace explained.

"Wow." Max remarked moving closer to the wall. He placed his hand on the wall and something amazing happened. Suddenly the wall lit up with a ghostly glow. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Grace gasped, stepping away from the wall. Out of the wall appeared a small, fireball like, sphere. It was dark gray but within the swirls of color there were wisps of white. "Is that, no it can't be?" Grace said in disbelief.

"What is it Grace?" Max asked her. Before she could answer that same color of flame began to burn around Max. "Grace?!"

"I can't believe I didn't see it before." Grace exasperated. "Max that sphere is my brother's aura and… and it matches yours. Your aura is Auron's twin!"

"That means that it's going to meld with mine, doesn't it?" Max asked. Grace nodded and the sphere began getting closer to Max, but it stopped a foot away from him.

"I think you have to accept it, let it meld with your aura. If you resist, it won't join you." Grace explained.

"Ok, I accept it." Max said, opening his inner self to Auron's aura. Max took the sphere in his hand and pressed it against his chest, the sphere phased through and Max's own aura grew brighter, stronger. Max felt a saw past his plain of existence, until Grace appeared to be a ghost before him. He saw another lucario there; it was taller than Grace but seemed similar to her somehow. The lucario turned towards Max and spoke.

"I am Grace's older brother, Auron." Said the lucario "I will say I never expected a human to be my aura twin, but maybe that explains why Grace trusts you." Max's jaw dropped. "I'd say you look like you just saw a ghost, but you kinda have. Just take good care of her would you?"

"I will." Max said with confidence. Auron gave him a smile and a nod, then disappeared.

Max's sight returned to normal and Grace was staring at him. "What?"

"You, you just spoke in my language." Grace told him "What is it you will?"

"Grace, it's gonna sound crazy, but I saw your brother. He told me to take care of you." Max explained.

"You saw Auron?! I can't believe it." Grace squealed "But that still doesn't explain how you spoke in the Pokémon tongue."

"Well, a part of Auron is with me right?" Max inquired.

"Yeah." She replied.

"I guess I got some of his abilities too." He told her "It will take time to learn everything I got from his aura."

"I guess that makes sense." Grace muttered "This has only happened a handful of times in recorded history, and for all we know it might be the first time it's happened with a human."

"Come on let's talk about this on the way to town." Max said, remembering he had planned to get to the next town by that night. They packed their things, bundled up and went on their way. "So what all do you think I can do now?"

"We'll have to find out." Grace replied "I still can't believe that it took me this long to realize your and Auron's auras were the same."

"It does explain why you trusted me so willingly." Max said with a smirk "Or at least that's what your brother said."

"Do you think you will ever talk to Auron again, him being a part of you and all?" She asked.

"I don't know, maybe." He replied "I hope you don't think it's weird."

"Hope I don't think what's weird?" She asked

"A part of your brother being a part of me…" Max explained "…don't you think that will make being in a relationship with me a little strange.

"No, I don't think of it like that. I think of it like being with the man I love." Grace assured him.

"So, you still want to have some fun when we get to the pokecenter?" He asked.

"Only a lot." She said smiling. "But unless you want to get stripped down in the snow, you shouldn't put those thoughts in my mind."

Max heeded her warning and dropped the subject. The pair made it to the next town without anymore interruptions and got a room at the pokecenter. They decided against "having a little fun" because they both were exhausted and instead went to straight to bed.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey come on get up." Max heard from someone standing over him. Max wasn't lying in his bed in the Pokémon center, or at least he didn't seem to be there. Max's eyes snapped open and sat upright to see Auron standing before him, they were in a simple white room. "Hurry up, we got to get started." Auron said.

"What's going on?" Max said "Where am I?"

"Don't worry." Auron assured "Physically, you are still asleep at the Pokémon center. But your aura is with me in this realm."

"Ok…" Max said, standing up "And why am I here?"

"Because this is the only way I can train you." Auron explained. "And before you ask me what I'm training you for let me explain." Max nodded. "Along time ago, before your ancestors were even a thought, there was a lucario. Now don't ask me why it had to be a lucario, it just was. Anyway, this lucario realized that what kept him from his true power, what keeps us all from our true power, are the light and the dark warring inside our souls. The lucario thought that if he could find a way to purge himself of his darkness that he would become immensely powerful." The world around Auron and Max began to change, showing a young lucario in his den rooting through scrolls and tomes. "Eventually he found a way and he set out to perform the deeds required. Now I can't tell you what he had to do, Arceus removed all knowledge of the ritual after the events that would follow." The scene changed again and now they were standing at a temple on top of a grand mountain range. "That lucario succeeded, but it was not as he expected." A loud scream pierced the conversation and Max could see the lucario. The lucario looked as if he was being ripped in two. After the scream stopped there stood two figures where the lucario once stood, both looked like lucarios in form but each was very different. The on standing left of them was pure white, like fresh fallen snow, his eyes were ablaze with white fire. "He became purely good and he did attain immense power…" Auron gestured towards the other figure. "…but his darkness took form as well." The second figure looked as a shadow, black as night with darkness billowing around him, his eyes were black like obsidian rock. "Realizing what had occurred the lucario tried to defeat his darkness." The two figures began battling. "He thought he would win, but as many know, fighting our own demons is one of the toughest fights. The lucario did not win." The darkness landed on last, fatal blow, and the lucario faded to nothing. "Weakened from the battle and the purge itself, the darkness faded into the shadows to slowly regain its power." The scene disappeared and the area, once again, was nothing more than a white room.

"Let me guess." Max started "This darkness is close to showing itself again." Auron nodded. "A little cliché, don't you think?"

"Don't ask me, Arceus just gave me the info to pass on to you." Auron explained.

"Where do I fit in with this story?" Max asked.

"The way it was explained to me…" Auron began "… was that it takes two extremely powerful auras to do what occurred between you and me. Those strong auras only appear in times when they are needed."

"So I'm supposed to play a part in this." Max inquired.

"Not just you, I'm in this too." Max said gripping Max's shoulders in an assuring manner. "And I've been told that there are others like us."

Max perked up a little. "Wait you mean there are other humans like me out there?"

"Yes and the one I know of has amazing powers." Auron said excitedly "He will make a great ally."

"Wait you met him? Can I meet him?" Max returned his excitement.

"No I haven't met him; I've just observed him training." Auron explained "And no, you can't meet him…well, not now or here anyway."

"You mentioned training. When do we start?" Max asked.

"Now, if you like." Auron replied "You ready?"

"Ready." Max replied, bringing himself into a fighting stance, facing Auron.

"What are you doing?" Auron asked "You aren't sparring with me yet." Auron waved his paw through the air the room became a forest. "Let's start with something you've experienced before." He waved his hand again and a pack of Mightyena appeared. "Begin!" The first Mightyena lunged, Max barely spun out of the way.

"You know last time I had a branch!?" Max yelled, he dodged a swipe from another Mightyena.

"Draw from within yourself; you can do whatever I could and more." Auron explained "Try to use an old favorite of mine, bone rush, try to form a staff with your aura."

"Now how do you expect me to do that!?" Max replied, losing his focus and got slashed across the forearm. "Ah! Mother…"

"Watch it, don't lose your focus!" Auron yelled back, circling the battle. "Look into my memory; you should be able to find out how." Max didn't know how he could focus on the fight and look into Auron's memory, but he had to try. He focused his mind to Auron's aura; he didn't see anything but he felt like he knew what to do. Max lifted his arms in front of him, placing hands together as if he were holding on to a bar. He focused his aura and spread his hands apart. A staff, shaped like a large bone, grew as his hands parted. "That's the way!" Auron yelled. Max didn't say anything. He just used Auron's skills, coupled with his own, to face down the pack. Max dodged each attack, spinning to give the staff momentum, and brought down each Mightyena one at a time. After taking down the pack leader Max settled down, his staff disappeared.

"That was…" Max began, out of breath. "…awesome."

"That, is only the start of what you are capable of." Auron replied, giving Max a pat on the back. "Now I got to ask you to do something before you wake up."

"Sure, what do you want?" Max asked.

"I don't want you to tell Grace about this." Auron told him.

"Wait, why?" Max asked "You and I both know she can keep a secret."

"It's not that…" Auron explained "…It's just that she might try to use you as a way to talk to me. You know how much she misses me."

"I'm sure she will understand how important it is that I keep my focus on training." Max reasoned.

"Trust me she will still try." Auron assured Max "Once your training here is over you can tell her."

"I don't like keeping secrets from her though." Max replied "But I guess it's better not to risk it."

"Thanks for seeing things my way." Auron thanked him "Now wake up." Max's eyes snapped open; he was back in the Pokémon center.

"Hey sleepy head." Grace said "Seemed like you were having a pretty interesting dream last night."

"Yeah that's how I would describe it." Max said, still kind of confused about what had happened.

"You want to talk about it babe?" She asked.

"No I'm fine." He assured. "Come on let's get headed for the next town." Max and Grace packed there things and headed off. Max still was uneasy about not telling Grace but he had to trust Auron. Max had a problem though, little did he know, Grace was starting to learn how to read his emotions.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Come on Max let's get moving!" Grace yelled, running ahead of max on the town road. "At this rate it will take a week to get to next town!"

"How can you be so awake?!" Max yelled up to her, still exhausted. Auron hadn't mentioned that his "dream training" would take so much out of him during the day.

"Max, it's noon. How are you so tired?" She retorted "You're not sneaking out in the middle of the night to cheat on me are you?" Max laughed at the comment.

"Yes, I met a beautiful Gardevoir in the woods yesterday and just couldn't stand to be away from her." he replied sarcastically. he hastened to catch up with Grace and wrapped an arm across her shoulders to keep her from moving too fast.

"Yeah like that would happen." She said rolling her eyes.

"Oh, what do you mean by that?" He asked.

"I just mean that your lucky to even have me." She answered ""I doubt you could get with another pokemon."

"Ow, hit me right in the ego. That's gonna bruise." He laughed. Something rusted in the bushes. "What was that?" Max quickly spun around.

"It's prolly just a Furret or something. Calm down." Grace assured him

"Can you use your aura sight to be sure?" He asked her. Max had always been a little paranoid, too many times when he was a kid did he get jumped by bullies at school because his guard was down.

"Fine, but I'm telling you its probably nothing." She said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. She closes her eyes and a barely noticeable hum filled the air. Her eyes snapped open "Run." she said "Run!" She grabbed Max by the arm and quickly jerked him as they started running. Max had only a second to see a Mightyena jump from the bushes and land where he was standing only moments before.

"Shit, do these guys ever give up?!" Max yelled as he ran. The Mightyena was not alone, his whole pack was with him, it was the same pack from before. "Wait, why are we running? We could take them."

"Hah, really?" She laughed, still running. "You barely survived last time when you had a branch to fend them off."

"Come on, I didn't have awesome aura powers before." He reasoned.

"And what makes you think you have them now?" She asked.

"Well i've felt somewhat stronger since i melded with Auron's aura." Max said "And something in my gut tells me i can do something."

"Well, it looks like we don't have a choice." Some of the Mightyena had flanked ahead and were waiting. "Go with your gut i guess." Grace and Max both came to a stop and readied themselves, back to back. The Mightyena closed the circle, just like last time. "Try not to get killed."

"I'll do my best." He told her. "Alright let's see what i can do." Grace summoned up a bone rush. "Wonder if i can do that." Max said, trying to keep his sarcasm from showing. He placed his fists together and parted them, a staff forming in his hands.

"Good job, now let's see you use it." Grace said.

It was strange, this fight was almost exactly the same as the one during Max's dream. There were more Mightyena in this scenario, but about the same number were attacking him while the others went after Grace. Max followed his instincts and played out the battle just like last night. he finished his quota off quickly, but Grace was having difficulties. She was even more greatly outnumbered, facing twice as many as max. Max jumped into the fight and successfully got enough of the Mightyena to focus on him so Grace could handle herself. Things were going well, Max spun keeping momentum on the staff and striking down each Mightyena, but the Mightyena got smart and began attacking two at a time. Max's staff was only good for hitting single targets and he didn't have the reflexes to spin fast enough to intercept the second attack. First slash struck Max in the arm, opening up a cruel 3 inch gash, the second got him in the back, doing even more damage. Max was angry, he had to adapt. "If only i had two staffs." He thought. Two Mightyena lunged at him at the same time, so Max accidently went to strike at both. His staff snapped in two, granting his wish for two staffs. He cracked both his adversaries over the head and they crumpled. Mopping up the rest Max and Grace finally were able to pause and take a breath.

"Thank god for that training." Max muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Grace asked, panting.

"Nothing." He said "Just saying how i'm tired of these fucking mightyena."

"Yeah, me too." Grace said "Come on, let's get going before these guys come to." They both began jogging down the trail until they were at least a mile and a half from the scene of the fight. "So i see you've taken quickly to your new skills."

"Yeah i guess i have." Max started "It just felt..." He stopped, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and Max could tell something was behind them. Without even looking he spun and launched an open handed strike. He didn't even mean it to happen, but he had challenged a large portion of energy towards his forearm, it released through his open palm striking the Mightyena in the jaw. "_Snap!_" The Mightyena's head spun around but its body didn't follow. He crumpled to the ground, dead. "It just felt natural." He finished.

"God, I..." Grace stammered "...I've never seen a force palm kill before. That had to be a lot of power."

"I didn't mean to I just...he was trying to attack you." Max explained.

"Shush." She put her paw in front of his lips "It's ok killer." She smirked "Oh look at that, you're all cut up again." She gave him an extremely provocative look. "Looks like i get to strip you down."

"I guess you do." He said "But let's get to the next pokecenter first. Ok?"

"Oh, fine." She groaned, flashing him with a puppy dog face.

"What about him?" Max asked.

"Well we have two options." She said " One, we take the body with us and leave it at the Pokecenter to let them dispose of it. That option would leave the rest of the pack following us, thinking we kidnapped him, and the Nurse Joy might show a little apathy towards us for killing a pokemon. Two, we could leave it here and most likely the pack will take it back to their home for a burial."

"Option two then." He said "Let's leave." Max through on a jacket from his pack to cover up his wounds. They went down the road, Max's arm around Grace's shoulder affectionately. It took a few hours but Max and Grace eventually made it to the pokecenter. The two approached the front desk. "Hello Nurse Joy, I need a single room for the night."

"Ah yes we do have a few rooms open." Nurse joy said, sliding open a drawer filled with room keys. "Here you are, room 4A."

"Thank you." Max thanked her. "If you could spare some, I need to resupply on gauze and medical tape."

"Ah yes if you'll just give me a moment." She rifled around under the counter for a second. "Looks like I will have to get some out of storage." She told him, leaving through a set of double doors behind the counter.

"Here babe, this might be a few minutes." Max handed the key to Grace. "Go get set up in the room." She took the key and disappeared down the hall. Shortly after, an Umbreon leapt up from behind the counter. "Well, hello there." Max scratched the Umbreon under the chin.

"Hello." A voice, the Umbreon's, filled Max's head.

"Well I wasn't expecting an actual conversation out of you." He said

"Most people don't." The Umbreon said "I'm Artemis, Nurse Joy's Umbreon."

"Nice to meet you." He said "My name is Max."

"So that Lucario that came in with you..." She started.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Artemis replied.

Max chuckled a bit at how observant this little Umbreon was. "Yes, yes she is." He answered.

"Well atleast you're open about it." She said "Too many people go through life too afraid to admit their feelings. Leaves a lot of people and pokemon alone."

"Sounds like you've felt the effects of that personally." Max said. "What happened?"

"Let's just say I didn't tell someone how I felt." She spoke solemnly with little emotion. "Finally worked up the guts but he had already found a mate."

"You know they say that when one door closes another is opened." He said "I'm sure you'll find someone, in time."

"You know I've never met a stranger so nice." She told him, mustering up a smile. "Your Lucario friend is very lucky."

"Yeah I guess she is." Max admitted "Listen, you seem like an extremely kind and compassionate Umbreon. Any male would be lucky to have someone like you. My only advice is that you don't let your next chance go so easily."

"Thank you, seems like good advice." She muttered. Nurse Joy returned from the storage room.

"Sorry it took so long." She said "The supplies weren't where they were supposed to be. But, it looks like you found someone to keep you company." She scratched Artemis under the chin.

"Yeah she kept me company." Max said.

"Artemis could you watch over the counter while I take inventory?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Sure, shouldn't be a problem." Artemis replied. Nurse joy went back into the store room.

"I should probably go to my room now." Max said after a moment. He began stuffing the bandages into his bag and the sliding doors at the front of the lobby opened. A Leafeon walked through, Max sensed that the Leafeon was very stressed about something.

"High Silas." Artemis greeted the Leafeon.

"Hi Artemis." Silas said "Um..." He swallowed audibly. "Artemis can I please talk to you for a sec?" Max recognized the nervous look in his eye and the stammering, he was the same way right before he asked his first girlfriend out.

"Sure, what's up." She said standing up.

"Remember what i said." Max whispered to her "Don't let your next chance pass you by." He got up and left to the room. He found room 4A and rapped on the door twice with his knuckle. He heard some shuffling from the other side of the door. The door swung open and Grace dragged him inside the room with a rather uncomfortable hug.

"Oh I'd never thought i'd see the day." Grace giggled "My guy helping two pokemon hook up. I didn't know you knew so much about relationships."

"Wait you were listening in on that? From all the way in our room?" He questioned her.

"Aura sight allows a lot more than seeing things." She explained "But, i shouldn't expect you to understand."

"Well maybe I will eventually." he said.

"Probably." She said "You know i think you deserve a reward for helping out that little Umbreon out there." She pushed him down on the bed obviously intending for things to get physical. Max winced as pain shot through his back, he had almost forgotten about the damage those Mightyena had dealt. "I guess i should patch you up." Grace said, her tone now more serious. "Then maybe i can show you how to use aura sight.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You know Silas, I never would have guessed you were interested in me." Artemis said, nuzzling up against Silas's neck.

"Why wouldn't I be interested?" Silas replied "You're beautiful, funny, compassionate, and overall amazing." Silas licked her cheek between every word.

Artemis giggled "You haven't stopped licking and kissing me since i said yes."

"Can you blame me?" Silas asked.

"No i suppose i can't." She replied and kissed him on the nose. "Hey you want to do something fun?"

"What did you have in mind?" He replied. Artemis just giggled and stood up, walking a few feet away from Silas. She looked back at him over her shoulder and raised her rump in the air. She moved her tail out of the way, presenting herself. "Ooh, that kind of fun." He whispered to himself, also standing up. He began to approach Artemis, she waved her tail right in front of his face.

_Smack!_

"Ow!" Max yelled.

"I think thats enough practice for today." Grace said "I'm not teaching you aura sight so you can watch other couples make love."

"Ok, ok." He said "I won't use it for those purposes."

"Good, how're your bandages holding up?" She asked

"Fine, the wounds don't really hurt anymore." He explained "I noticed that ever since i melded with Auron's aura I've been healing a lot faster." Max got up from the place on the floor he was meditating.

"That's good." Grace remarked, also standing up. "Seeing how much you've been getting hurt lately."

"Hey, harsh." Max said "Not my fault those Mightyena wouldn't leave us alone."

"You know i'm just kidding with you." She giggled "Besides, you really kicked their asses last time." She hugged him and Max groaned a bit. "What that back wound still hurt?"

"No, just really sore." Max said, arching his back. Grace could hear his vertebrate crack.

"Here, lay down on your stomach." She said, pushing him down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Just do it." Grace commanded. Max complied and rolled over on his stomach. Grace placed her paws on his lower back and shifted all her wait on them. There was a loud series of pops as the rest of Max's vertebrate shifted back into place. Grace began pushing on his shoulders, simultaneously moving her paws in a circular motion. "Feel better?"

"Soooo much." Max groaned "Ah, ah, a little to the left. Yeahhhh that's the spot." Grace continued for a few more minutes before just laying down next to Max. "Ah, Grace I love you."

"Love you too Max." Grace pulled Max in close, kissing him passionately. Max returned the kiss with equal passion, adding his tongue into the mix. It seemed like an hour before they finally came up for air. The feel of Grace's hot breath on Max's skin sent chills down his spine. Maw felt a rough patch of fur on Grace's back.

"Hey, whats on your back?" He rolled Grace over. There was a rather large patch of fur on her back was matted with dirt, probably from the fight from earlier.

"What is it?" Grace asked.

"Just some dirt." Max answered "You could use a shower."

"Mind helping me clean up?" She giggled.

"Sure, I think i could help." He whispered into her ear. They stripped each other down as they made their way to the bathroom, kissing each other the entire way. They both got in the shower and Max turned on the water. He scrubbed down her bag vigorously, quickly cleaning her back. Grace shivered a bit. "You alright?"

"Water's just a little cold." Grace answered.

"Sorry, I like cold showers." Max explained "But don't worry, I'm sure I can warm you up." Max bent Grace over a bit, Grace braced herself against the shower wall and spread her legs a bit. Max gripped Grace's hips and positioned his tip at her entrance, spreading her outer lips slightly. Grace let out a soft moan. He pushed himself further and Grace shuddered.

"Oh Max." She moaned "Faster." Max did as she asked, pushing all the way in and quickening his pace. Her warmth felt so divine with the cold water running across his skin. Max kept going faster and harder. Grace began slipping into pokespeak, but apparently Auron's aura allowed Max to understand it. "Oh Max, I'm so close. Harder!" Max slowed down and began ramming her even harder. "Yes, oh yes!" She almost screamed. Max felt Grace clamp down on his member, milking him for his seed. Max didn't last long after that, he sunk his cock deep in her pussy, spraying her inner walls with his cum. Max couldn't give anymore, so he pulled out. Grace whipped around, dropping to her knees, and latched her muzzle around his member, cleaning it before the shower had a chance to. She bobbed her head, running her tongue around the head of his cock as she did. This new feeling caused Max to skyrocket back for a second orgasm. He shot his load into Graces waiting maw. She kept suckling his head for every last drop, licking her lips seductively after Max was spent.

Max shut off the water and grabbed two towels off the rack. He towel off Grace's fur, she was really tired from their antics. Max had barely wrapped a towel around his waist before grace rested her head against his shoulder and fell asleep. Max carried her to the bed and tucked her in, then he layed down beside her. He sat there and snuggled with her for a while before sleep took its hold. Max eyes opened to see the white room again.

"Get up, we need to get training." Auron commanded.

"Dammit." Max thought to himself "How long till i get a decent night's sleep?"

**AN- I won't typically do Authors' notes, but i just needed to say to not expect me to get chapters out this fast. It was complete luck that my computer cooperated enough with me to finish this chapter in a day. So I'll just take this time to thank my fans for their continued support and understanding of why im running so slowly.**


	11. Poll anouncement

**AN: **Sorry to excite you with false new chapter update but this is the easiest way for me to inform you about this.

In an attempt to make updates more regular and also relieve a little stress on my end, I have decided to place all of my attention on one of my two main stories, either Walk in The Woods or Pokeman. I am leaving it up to you, the readers, to decide which I will focus on. After completion of the story you choose I will work on the other. I do, however, reserve the right to change this decision at any given time. First story to get 30 votes wins. If that doesn't happen the poll will close in a month.

I will post this in both Walk in The Woods and Pokeman, these author's notes will be removed after the end of the poll.


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